Building receiving 'facelift'Pope County purchased the Executive Suites building at 200 West Main Street in Russellville, just west of the county courthouse, in June at a cost of $215,000. Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson said the building is in the process of a “facelift.” The front doors have been changed, the bathrooms were worked on and the inside was painted. Now, scaffolding is lined along the outside of the building to change the color to match the courthouse. The f...

Trees for sale by Dardanelle Chamber of CommerceDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle Chamber of Commerce currently has Christmas trees for sale to decorate during the holiday season. For the first time, from now until Nov. 29, businesses and individuals can purchase a Christmas tree for $30 from the Chamber to decorate for the lighting ceremony. The trees will be placed in front of the courthouse on Front Street. Those who purchase a tree are asked to sponsor, decorate and undecorate the tree prior ...

Red Kettle Campaign beginsTHE COURIER / Joshua Mashon A kickoff event for this year's Red Kettle Campaign took place Wednesday afternoon at Arvest Bank in Russellville with Salvation Army officers and board members, Arvest Bank employees and Russellville Mayor Randy Horton. The bank made the first donation of $250 in one of the recognizable red kettles that will be placed throughout town. The Salvation Army of Russellville has a goal of $75,000 this year. The money rai...

RHS 3rd at Huntsville InvitationalHUNTSVILLE -- The RHS Cyclone Quiz Bowl team recently made the trip to the Huntsville Invitational Tournament. The Cyclone varsity team finished the 32-team tournament with a 7-1 record. In game one, the Cyclones used strong 2nd and 4th quarter play to defeat 6A foe Greenwood 315-190. In game two RHS faced Haas Hall-Fayetteville B and cruised to a 345-150 victory. In game three RHS drew Haas Hall-Bentonville B and won 380-205. The Cyclones ear...

Traffic stop leads to 5 felony arrestsArkansas State Police arrested five after a traffic stop yielded 76 pounds of marijuana and four pounds of methamphetamine. Melissa Ross, 29, Stefinicia Minton, 18, Roderick Nelson, 39, Svante A. Pernell, 34, and Juan G. Michel, 38, are facing drug trafficking charges after Arkansas State Police stopped the vehicles they were traveling in at approximately 3:43 p.m. on Nov. 9 on U.S. Interstate 40. According to a police report, the officer init...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

School board OKs bonuses, roofing projectThe Russellville Board of Education approved one-time bonuses for all contracted employees and also approved the financing of a middle school roof replacement project at its meeting Tuesday night. The bonuses will amount to $500 for every full-time contracted employee, regardless of their regular rate of pay. Part-time employees will have their bonuses prorated. Just before making the motion to approve the one-time bonuses, board member Wesley...

Yell Election Commission enjoys firstsDANVILLE — The general election was a first of many things for the Yell County Election Commission which included the use of new electronic voting equipment and electronic poll books as well utilizing voting centers. Howard Orsburn, election commissioner, said the election commission had approximately 44 new machines that totaled over $350,000, which they had no problems with during the election. The new machines were equipped with the ability...

Lamar board accepts bid for intercomLAMAR — The Lamar School Board accepted a bid for an intercom system, adopted a wellness policy and approved a staff bonus. Superintendent Jay Holland said the board approved a bid of $34,751 from Jay Systems for an intercom system. The intercom will be installed in the elementary school and two gymnasiums. The board also approved a subscription renewal for Dibels Software in the amount of $13,464 from Amplify. Dibels Software is used by most ...

What makes you qualified for this job?The Russellville Junior High School (RJHS) hosted community business members while they conducted mock interviews with students. Sandy Hocker, career development teacher, said the students have prepared for the mock interviews for the past three and a half weeks. “To prepare, the students made portfolios,” Hocker explained. “They also made a cover letter, resume, filled out a job application and wrote letters of recommendation for their classm...

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care MonthNovember is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and hospices across the country are reaching out to raise awareness about the highest quality care for all people coping with life-limiting illness. On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Russellville Mayor Randy Horton signed a proclamation at Arkansas Hospice's River Valley Home to proclaim November 2016 as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and to encourage citizens to increase their understand...

Members named to housing authorityMetta Holman, executive director of the Dover Housing Authority reminded members of the board of commissioners at their Nov. 10, monthly meeting that their appointments to the board were reaching an end. She said the five board members had been named to one year terms by Dover Mayor Pat Johnson effective Dec. 1, 2015, as part of a reorganization of the housing facility that occurred when it came a management contract with the Clarksville Housi...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL
sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

24 hours can change a lifetimeThe Great American Smoke-Out is an annual event that is celebrated on the third Thursday of every November. Promoted by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the event encourages smokers to try quitting for at least this one day. Many of us know a smoker who has quit or is trying to quit. It could even be yourself. The statewide Smoking Cessation Program encourages you and anyone you may know who uses tobacco products to participate in the Great ...

ReImagine RussellvilleTuesday night citizens of Russellville gathered at City Hall to participate in one of the last public forum-type meetings discussing the economical and physical growth of Russellville. The focus was quality of life and recreation, something Mayor Randy Horton said was important for the growth of the city. "This is critical," Horton said. "This is what we sell, what we promote." James Walden, urban planning manager representing Garver, an engin...

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BY SIERRA MURPHYmurphy@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Bond for Barefield denied a 2nd timeTyler J. Barefield, 35, was denied bond for a second time during a hearing on Monday at the Pope County Courthouse. Barefield is accused of shooting Aaron Brock, 22, and Beau Dewitt, 22, and crushing their bodies in the back of a car at the U-Pull-It Auto Salvage Yard on Sept. 16. District Judge William Pearson denied bail after hearing testimony from Eric Riggs, a criminial investigator with the Pope County Sheriff's Office and 10 other witne...

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By Travis Simpson
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

The Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College Now that the election is over, the system that is used for electing the president needs to be addressed: the Electoral College. This system of voting is outdated and does more harm than good. It is unfair and needs to be replaced. The main drawback of the Electoral College is a candidate can win the popular vote, but lose the presidency. This has happened a total of five times throughout history with the most recent being...

Student sexually assaultedA former Russellville High School (RHS) student is facing second degree sexual assault charges after he and another student allegedly grabbed and groped a female student in one of the stairwells on campus. Carlos S. Contreras, 19, was arrested after the victim, a 17-year-old female, reported she was touched repeatedly on her breasts and held against her will in the stairwell. The victim identified the suspects to school officials, who contacte...

Ola mulls relocating city officesOLA — The Ola City Council met on Monday and discussed the possibility of moving the city offices to another location, a paving project and the Christmas parade. Ronald Osterhout, council member, said the council discussed the possibility of moving the city offices to the old Ola high school and elementary buildings on Hill Street. “We talked about moving the whole city office,” Osterhout explained. “There should be plenty of room for the poli...

Hector board meets early, approves bonusesThe Hector School board voted at its monthly November meeting to pay a $750 salary bonus to all current district employees on the recommendation of Superintendent Mark Taylor. The bonus will be paid with the December payroll. The board met a week earlier than scheduled because of a conflict with training sessions set for members. Middle School Principal Jessica Dunkle reported on the transition to a middle school concept creating a separate mi...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL
sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley